Death of Football
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Giovanni Trapattoni, the Republic of Ireland manager, has urged Fifa to reassess its ranking system or face the "death of football" while his goalkeeper Shay Given has expressed the dismay and frustration felt inside the Republic dressing room at the decision to seed the European World Cup play-off draw, labelling it "disgusting", "crazy" and "totally unfair on the smaller nations".
Given even went as far as to suggest that the decision, which was announced last week, was driven by the voices of the biggest nations at the top of the Fifa hierarchy. "There are people high up in delegations," said Given, "and maybe their countries are needing a hand to qualify."
Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, announced from Rio de Janeiro last Tuesday that the draw for next month's two-legged play-off ties would, after all, be divided into four seeded and four non-seeded nations.
Trapattoni, the Ireland manager, had believed that the draw would be open. The picture is still to be finalised but there is the strong possibility of France, Germany or Russia, Croatia and possibly Portugal finishing as group runners-up and so advancing into the play-offs as seeds, based on their Fifa rankings. Ireland, too, expect to finish in a play-off spot but, in all likelihood, they would not be seeded and would therefore have a higher probability of facing tougher opposition.
Trapattoni, whose team face Italy in Dublin on Saturday before concluding their Group Eight campaign at home to Montenegro next Wednesday, said that Ireland would "not be afraid" of whoever they faced, should, as expected, they enter the play-offs. "We can get a big team and we can beat them," he said. But he pointed to the failed proposal of a European Club Super League, which the continent's biggest clubs pushed for some years ago, as an example of apocalypse and he suggested that Fifa's championing of a similar elite at international level was also wrong.
"Four or five years ago, the big clubs wanted a European League but it was dangerous and they gave up on the idea," said Trapattoni. "They thought it would be the death of football. Now, we have a similar situation and it has to change in the future because every country has the right to be the same. This [World Cup] draw must be open. We must give the opportunity to everyone. I thought it was going to be an open draw and in the future, they have to think about the rankings and change the system. But business is business. The big teams command Uefa in the rankings table. At the moment, it is difficult to change but they must."
Given continues to rage at last week's announcement and his ire concerned the timing of it, as much as anything else. "The rules should be laid out clearly before any ball is kicked and then there's no dark cloud or whatever," he said. "It's ridiculous how they can make a decision now when some of the big-name nations are maybe struggling to qualify. It's totally unfair on the smaller nations. It's pretty disgusting, to be honest. To change it at this stage is beyond belief.
"It's crazy and I don't know how they have got away with it or how the smaller nations like ourselves haven't put up a bigger fight. All the nations should try to kick up a fuss, not just us, because I don't believe it's right."
The Irish midfielder Kevin Kilbane said: "It is a joke, let's be honest, because they always seem to bend the rules. If it was said at the start I don't think that would be a problem. They seem to move the goalposts, don't they?"
Trapattoni said that he would be without the injured Damien Duff, Darron Gibson, Steven Reid and Caleb Folan for Italy's visit to Croke Park.
posted @ 6:49 PM,
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